By Folarin Kehinde
The Federal Government has warned that 915 communities across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory are at critical risk of flooding between August 27 and September 9, 2026, urging residents in the affected areas to take immediate precautionary measures and prepare for possible evacuation.
The National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre classified 915 communities across the affected areas as being at critical flood risk, requiring immediate watch, preparedness and protective action.
Another 429 communities in seven states were classified as high risk, while 656 communities across 13 states were placed on moderate-risk watch.
The critical-risk states are Kogi, Benue, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo.
Major cities and communities listed include Lokoja, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Benin City, Asaba, Calabar, Yenagoa, Uyo, Aba, Onitsha, Enugu, Owerri, Lagos, Abeokuta, Akure, Osogbo and Ibadan.
The federal government attributed the projected flood risk to a combination of high soil moisture, rainfall, rapid surface runoff, drainage surcharge and rising river levels.
In the advisory signed by the Director, Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department, Usman Abdullahi Bokani, the government urged residents in critical-risk areas to maintain immediate flood watch and verify evacuation routes.
It also advised residents to protect vulnerable households and essential property, and to avoid settlement, parking, trading, or storage activities within floodplains, wetlands, riverbanks, and low-lying drainage corridors.
The government directed state emergency management agencies, environmental officers and community flood focal persons to intensify surveillance around rivers, streams, culverts, bridges, drains, estuaries, reservoirs and erosion-prone corridors.
Communities classified as high risk in Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Adamawa, Taraba and Kebbi states were advised to intensify drainage clearance and monitor culverts and watercourses.
The Federal Capital Territory and communities in Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna were among those placed on the moderate-risk watchlist.
The Federal government warned that prolonged or consecutive rainfall could rapidly increase flood risk in communities currently classified as moderate.
Residents were urged to comply with evacuation instructions from competent authorities, keep children away from floodwater and avoid driving or walking through flowing water.
They were also advised to disconnect electricity where inundation was imminent and safeguard medicines, important documents, food and potable water.
The government stressed that the forecast should be interpreted alongside real-time local observations, drainage conditions, river levels and official emergency directives.
It added that feedback from state governments, stakeholders and community focal persons would support field validation and continuous updating of the national flood-risk database.
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